Australian trip October-November 2022 (aka the Covid trip)

Despite Mish catching Covid three days in, we had a great trip and saw lots of people we haven't seen in years.

Flew into Brisbane via Auckland on October 26. It was an early morning flight so we caught the train in to Wellington the day before and spent the night at the Wellington airport hotel. That was a good idea.

Picked up a Subaru Forester in Brisbane and arrived at Merran's place for morning tea. Spent a lovely couple of days there catching up and hanging out at her scenic local cafe on Moreton Bay.

Having dinner the day before we left - Mish not knowing she has Covid at this point haha (none of Merran's family get it after our visit, phew).

Drove south to Lennox Head and Jane and Nicola's.  Parked ourselves in an air B&B beside their little house and big house (under construction) and everything going dandy until later that evening...Mish has a wee sore throat.

Next day, plans all change.

We have to stay where we are for days. Isolating, masks, distance, sanitiser.

But, J&N swing into action!  Mish gets to see a doctor and access the antiviral pills. Yeah, we paid for it but what the hell. Jane goes shopping and equips us with bags and bags of bags, meds, food and every possible clean up product. 

Carol sleeping on the couch, not getting Covid.

Next day we move house to another friend of theirs at her Bali-like air B&B in Ballina.

Waiting for Mish to come out and play. Waiting...

Every night we drove back to J&N's place, turning up like regulars at a favourite restaurant where our al fresco table is always reserved. Dinner is laid on and we're waited on and touch nothing except knives and forks. 

Discussing the J&N build.

Spent six extra days in Ballina while Mish had a quiet birthday, feeling tired but not too sickly. 

A slow walk on Boulder Beach, Lennox Head. 

And a slow drive out to the hinterland. One expansive fig tree in a churchyard in macadamia country.

Then we drove down to Newcastle, having lunch with Rita and Sandy on the way. Missed staying at Rita's for a couple of days and that was a real bummer.

Newcastle was going to be our destination for our 25th anniversary at the very end of this month-long trip, but because of Covid we switched those dates to delay poxy entry to Sydney. 

Newcastle was great. We picked there as neither of us knew it and it has an arty reputation these days - and sea pools!

View looking north to the shallow Canoe Pool from our unit on Newcastle Beach. It's deeper at the sea edge and a couple of little kids and I got tumble washed by an unexpected wave there - whoopee!

Looking south.

Having a swim at the Merewether ocean pool - fabulous!

And at the Bogey Hole, also fab.

At the quiet south end of the beach there are earthworks and we were poking around there - Mish uncovered a 1944 penny. She's pretty chuffed about that.

Went twice to an excellent cafe in a big old bank building with a relaxed vibe (Momo's) and swam in three cool sea pools, in an interesting city with quirky architecture and good bookshops and pleasant parks. 

Big old fig in Pacific Park, Newcastle.

Eyeing off a purchase while the coffee arrives.

Even caught up with Colleen and Jody in Newcastle. We were actually going to miss both of those gals on the previous plan, so that worked out better than expected.

On to Sydney after four days and Robin and Gillian and Luca's place. So nice to finally arrive in Sydney. Getting a lesson in smart watches.

Another great welcome and a sweet place for Mish to crash and get better. She's been doing pretty well, but has a relapse here and spends two days in bed feeling pukey.

She recovers okay though and off we go to her delayed birthday family dinner, then her cousins' lunch, and then her great nephew's birthday party in a park a few days after that.

It's been years since we've seen all these people!

Did a few Sydney things: Gillian and I had a walk in Garigal National Park and got (temporarily) lost; Mish and I strolled around Warringah Mall (which used to be outdoorsy pleasant but is now just a jumble of shops and narrow paths); had lunch in one of our special places - Jipang in Manly, and at my favourite seat at the counter, score!

Drove down to the Southern Highlands for a couple of days. We couldn't stay with Lyn but had a lovely catch up with Deb and Ric and drove around to check out a few of the old haunts.

On the Kangaroo River. It was a cool but lovely day with sunshine, then it hailed, which we thought was hilariously Robertson.

 

Our old house is changed a bit with lots of things we planted going great guns. It's rented and  overgrown - we walked down the lane having a stickybeak. 

Back to Sydney via the Macquarie Pass and the coast and on to Janey's place at Waverton for a few nights. Mish feeling quite chirpy by now with occasional suddenly tired moments.

Walked around Waverton and Kirribilli and Sydney botanical gardens for a few days. Really enjoyed just hanging out and watching ferries and yachts and the navy move in and out of the view.

Waving from the Forester under a spectacular jacaranda around the corner from Janey's.

Saw Elaine and Michael in their new digs on the northern beaches and had a pleasant lunch and a smashing game of table tennis with Kerry and Sue.

Next day, off to the airport. With a last sea pool swim on the way at the McIver's ladies baths in Coogee, then an accidental coffee at the cafe where it all began 25 years ago. We didn't realise until we sat down - in the same seat for heaven's sake.

She's still not grey!

Day trip to Petone

Off to Petone today in search of new hiking socks - and we found them. $50 a pair but, hey, excellent socks for the Routeburn Track later this year. 

Petone, place of cafes as well as outdoor shops and op shops, is also the home of Wellington's most delicious and gutsy Reuben sandwich.  So we get one (and share it now) and take it down to the beach where there's a coffee van and a harbour and city view. What's not to like?!

Another Petone feature is the free water from the Hutt aquifer. 

Filling up the water bottle:

Back home in the afternoon, missing most of the city traffic heading north, in time for a sunset drink on the veranda. 

Got ourselves a comfy new couch and Mish came home from Sydney earlier this year with a banksia artwork.

It's a Kiwi lockdown life

Its been 43 days since we've been in some type of lockdown in Wellington. Plusses:

* my weight !
* lots of projects around the garden have finally been ticked off
* I've culled junk from my laptop
* We've painted interior window trims
* I've decided I'm no slouch as a hairdresser (in a crisis)
* Carolski's reorganised the bookcase & the spices drawer
* The bedroom got vacuumed, dusted and painted to within an inch of being classified as a laboratory
* I baked some great bread
* Made some watercolour inks

Here's a few images from the last few weeks at Level 4 and Level 3 lock down.



Mish came back from Oz a few days before the full lock down, and she went into self isolation for two weeks. Being such a good girl she didn't even step onto the street. She's holding something you will very rarely see: a hand written boarding pass. The system crashed at the airport and she then had to prove she was a NZ permanent resident. And, eventually, they let her on the plane.

We didn't have a teddy bear to put in a street facing window for passing kid walkers, so we did a driveway display with a squirrel, the gingerbread man, and a cow money box.

Overgrown area on the right, and all up the street side bank, is now hucked out too for new plantings when we can get to a nursery.

We have big loads of green waste and flax (too tough for green waste), and clean out stuff (old paint tins etc.). and metal recycling, all ready for trailer hire when we have somewhere to take it.






But the guy around the corner is a teddy bear collector and military nut, and he went for broke.



We had a jigsaw bought years ago on Waiheke Island; attempted then and put away until - house imprisonment. Took us about two weeks to do. Haircuts already needed.

Mish in the kitchen making felt poppies for Anzac Day.
On Anzac Day, we stood on our deck in the dark and listened to the short service on the radio. Lest we forget.

The poppy collection in the driveway on a beautiful autumn Anzac Day. We've had loads of days like these through lock down.





There was baking and much recipe experimentation. Chia puddings, beans, dahl, trifle! Mish made the custard and Carol made the sponge for that one. Pretty yummy.
Mish made a Mediterranean platter for one of those lovely days and lunch outside.



Afghans of course.


There was plum jam making and peach chutney making.



A small bit of painting. Main bedroom wardrobe is now spruced up.



Gardening. Weeding. Totem making. Etc.



And standing in supermarket queues, shopping for us and doing mum's groceries. Got to have at least one queue photo. A special time of social distancing.

This was getting mum's prescriptions on a bright day, standing on my allotted cross.. (For the next drug collection I was standing in the rain in a puddle with  a brolly jammed in my jacket for about 10 minutes and no camera.)

Another fast trip to Sydney

From Castle Hill to the city. Mish and Robin and Julie had a joint 60th party, then we spent a couple of days in the city. We walked, bussed, walked, ferried, walked - playing tourist and generally having a lovely time.

Margaritas! Darling Harbour, after we walked through Barangaroo.




View from city hotel, across Hyde Park to St Marys cathedral.




And swam: pools and sea. Here at the sea pools at North Narrabeen. Apart from $8 to park our run around car for 30 minutes (Mischa's mum's lime Renault), it was a lovely spot. Not blazingly hot, yay.




And, Mardi Gras fair day! Pretty warm.

Meri Kirihimete!

Christmas eve eve in Wellington. AKA December 23. 

Got home  from the movies (At Eternity's Gate) and a Malaysian snack in town, just as the sun was disappearing over our western hill, so we recorded this song.

Merry Christmas and a happy new year!

Mischa & Carol X

Spring days

Lots of blossoms around, yellow pine tree pollen over everything, green leaf burst.

Mish flew back Saturday night on the midnight flight, so we had a late start Sunday. Drove over to the hill we look at, between us and the city, and clambered over the 'do not enter' stuff to have a close up sticky beak at the earthworks.

The view through one of the cuttings looking back at our place, just below the water reservoir amongst all those little wooden houses.  Our view to the city is improved at the moment as they bastardise this hill and lower it. But houses will get plonked on here pretty soon. 

Looking over to the CBD from the edge of the earthworks. Most will get a good view and sun, but they will sure get the breezes. From both directions, like we do.

Although we have been windless for a while. It has been calm for months now, with the occasional good old fashioned blow, and we've had a warm wet winter. Sorry about that NSW, wish we could send some rain over.

And through a digger - perched rather edgily - to the airport and harbour entrance.

Teehee.

After that guerrilla expedition we drove over to Eastbourne (harbour east) and had a stroll on the beach and a coffee and some late afternoon sun. Very nice.

Mish flying out, again

A more civilised time than the 6.30 flight anyway.
Flying over Evans Bay, taking off to the north. Wellington sign in the background and one of our many slips beside it. That's a few months old now and has shrubbery growing in it already.

Went for a beach wander before Mish left and caught a bit of a rainbow.

 Lovely day today, warm and windless. 

Watched some of the marine rescue team practising in a zodiac, a guy snorkling for his dinner, lots of gulls, and seaweed wafting in gentle waves.

Mystery shot.